Games Of PoX

Role play for 7 persons or more about blockchains

Background

Bitcoin has become more and more popular and it is mentioned in main stream media. The Bitcoin blockchain uses Proof-of-Work (PoW) and is mainly used to transfer of Bitcoins from one user to the other.

Ethereum is another blockchain that allows to run mini programs, so-called smart contracts on the blockchain. To enable smart contracts on top of Bitcoin, a new mechanism has been invented that utilize the security of the Bitcoin blockchain and allows to run mini programs. This mechanism is called Proof-of-Transfer (PoX).

Material

Play money
6 or more dices
1 dice of different colour
Paper and pencil
Refreshments
39 play tokens (e.g. buttons)

Objective

Increase your wealth!
The player with the most play money after 3 rounds wins the game.

Preparation

One player is the game master. This player should have a good understanding of PoX. The game master receives all tokens.

All other players receive the same amount of play money. The game master keeps the rest and reserves three piles of play money of equal amount.

The players choose one of the three roles: bitcoin miners, stacks miner and stacks holder.

Roles

Bitcoin Miners

Bitcoin miners have to buy dices from the game master and throw them as quickly as possible. If they get 2 x 6 in a row they won a bitcoin round (bitcoin block) and get some play money from the game master.

From time to time they have to buy some refreshments from the game master to get more energy for throwing their dices.

Bitcoin miners can also buy more dices to achieve their goal faster.

Bitcoin miners execute money transfers when they won a round. Anybody can write instructions for money transfers on a piece of paper.

Stacks Holders (2 player)

Stacks holders buy some of the stacks tokens and place them in one or two piles out of their reach. The tokens can't be used any more until the end of the game. The Stacks holder with the most tokens makes two piles, the other one just one. If both holder have the same amount of tokens, then both make just one pile. For example, stacks holder A has 10 tokens, holder B 18 tokens, then Stacks holder A makes one pile with 10 tokens, holder B two piles with 9 tokens each. During the three rounds the Stacks holders will receive play money from Stacks miners.

Stacks Miners

Stacks miners agree on a ordering of the token piles of the Stacks holders. In each round, the owner of one of the piles will receive play money.

In each round, Stacks miners write a special instruction for money transfer on a piece of paper. It includes

• an amount of play money,
• the owner of the selected token pile for this round, and
• one word. This word is part of a sentence. In each round, the partial sentence is extended by one word. In the first round, each Stacks miner can think of their own sentence, in the next rounds the partial sentence of the previous round has to be extended with one word.

The Stacks miners hand over the instructions and the corresponding amount of money to the bitcoin miners. Now, they wait for the next winner among the Bitcoin miners. The winner will execute the payment instructions.

Then, one special dice is thrown once by the game master and the winner of the round is determined using the following rules: proportionally, to the amount on the paper, each stacks miners is assigned some numbers on the dice. For example, stacks miner A wrote 10 and stacks miner B wrote 20, then stacks miner A wins on 1 and 2, stacks miner B wins on 3, 4, 5 and 6. The winner receives tokens from the game master and the next round starts.

End Of Game

After 3 rounds the game ends. The player with the most play money wins the game. Before counting the money, the game master buys back the tokens from the Stacks holders and Stacks miners.

Comments

Dices represent hardware units for bitcoin mining. Buying refreshments represents buying electricity for the hardware. Bitcoin miners do not care about the three rounds. They can receive play money from the game master more than three times.

Exchange rates are considered fixed during the whole game.

The sentences that the Stacks miners create represents the Stacks blockchain, more precisely, the one word represents the hash of one Stacks blocks.

Note, that Bitcoin miners require many dices to achieve their goal. All Stacks miners together need only one dice, because they reuse the energy of the Bitcoin blockchain.

A simplified version is Games of PoW. In Games of PoW, there are only Bitcoin miners.

For an extended version A of Games of PoX, transactions fees are introduced. Stacks miners have to pay an additional amount of play money to the Bitcoin miner who executes the instructions.

For an extended version B of Games of PoX, instructions for the Stacks miners are introduced. The instructions can be for example the transfer of an NFT from one Stacks holder to the other.

Hints For Game Master

If you play this game in front of an audience, invite 6 persons on stage and place them at a table. Two Bitcoin miners, two Stacks miners and two Stacks holder opposite each other.

Explain the role of Bitcoin miners and let them play with 1 dice only. Invite the audience to verify that everybody is following the rules and to shout if one miner has two 6s in a row. While the Bitcoin miners throw their dice get some refreshments and offer it for sale. Then offer more dices for sale. If one Bitcoin miners has two 6s, throw some confetti or money.

Then explain the role of Stacks holders and, finally, the role of Stacks miners. Let the Bitcoin miners play while you explain. Instruct them to hold on, while you determine the winner of the Stacks miners at each round.

You can stop the game after one round and distribute some swag to all 6 persons.

Catamaran Swaps

With the extended Version B, you can explain catamaran swaps. Invite somebody in the audience to draw an art work on a piece of paper, and to add his/her name and a price tag. Give the NFT to the Stacks miners. The NFT is now on-chain. Then write a payment instruction for this amount and the name and hand it over to the Bitcoin miners. Instruct the Stacks miners to observe the Bitcoin miners and if an instruction of the mentioned amount and name is executed then they should give the NFT to you. This completes the Swap. You paid for an NFT on the Stacks blockchain with Bitcoins.